


Just stay alive (that would be enough)

by TheDarkChocolateLord



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkChocolateLord/pseuds/TheDarkChocolateLord
Summary: What were the parents going through while their children were with the Black Swan?
Relationships: Alden Vacker/Della Vacker, Cassius Sencen & His Position in the Nobility, Edaline Ruewen/Grady Ruewen, Juline Dizznee & Rex Dizznee, Sophie Foster & Edaline Ruewen & Grady Ruewen
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. Alden

"You're  _ sure  _ that you don't know where they went?" Alina asked, eyebrows scrunched up so tightly that it had to be giving her a headache. It reminded Alden far too much of the look she'd given him when he had forgotten their six-month anniversary.

"It's just as I've told you," Alden explained. "Della's spending time with her family and I don't know where the children are."

"They were on Mount Everest assisting the Black Swan and then they just  _ vanished _ ? And you know  _ nothing _ ?"

"They were on Mount Everest?" Alden tried for confusion. 

"You know perfectly well that they were on Mount Everest!"

"I had no idea—the Black Swan is extremely secretive. They could have frozen to death! Do you have any idea where my children are now?"

"That's what I'm asking you!" Alina looked like she wanted to smash something—and Everglen contained no small number of smashable items. Alden had a sudden desire to move his wedding photo to a different room.

Alden looked Alina in the eye. "I have no idea where my children are." That, at least, was true—aside from the small detail that he knew that they had joined the Black Swan, along with Della, Keefe, Dex, and Sophie.

"I believe him," Oralie agreed.

Alden blinked; he'd almost forgotten that she was there. To be fair, she was doing a very good job of pretending not to be there. Probably a defense mechanism against Alina interrogating  _ her _ —not only had Oralie given Sophie Kenric's cache, she'd somehow known  _ exactly  _ when they were leaving, which meant that she probably knew more about the Black Swan than she had let on.

"Are you sure?" Alina checked. " _ Both  _ of you?"

Alden nodded. "I have no idea where Fitz and Biana are."

Oralie traced her hand through the air, a gesture that Alden recognized as her reading emotions—but she couldn't read  _ his  _ emotions from across the table.

Could she?

"He's telling the truth," Oralie nodded.

Either Oralie was misinterpreting his emotions or she was lying, but Alden didn't care which. If he could get out of this without revealing any information about his kids, and without either of them finding out about where Della had gone….

Oralie turned to face Alina. "I believe that we're supposed to regroup with the rest of the Council in ten minutes. We're not making any progress—I suggest that we just go."

Alina let out a sigh with as much force as a newly manifested Guster who had lost control of their ability. " _ Fine. _ "

Fifteen minutes later, both Councillors were long gone and Alden had gone to bed at last, exhausted from waiting up all night for his kids to return from the ambush, the chaos of their escape, the questioning he'd had to endure. He rolled over, expecting Della's warmth but finding only an empty space.

Usually, Della would be beside him, taking more than her fair share of the covers. Usually, Fitz and Biana would be just down the hall, a joke about how Fitz had ten pairs of the exact same pajamas and no others, an argument about whether night or morning showers were superior, the faint sounds of the natural melodies Biana played whenever she had a hard time sleeping.

Usually, he knew that his family was  _ safe.  _

_ They're with the Black Swan,  _ he assured himself. _ They wouldn't be safe here, and they will be safe there. You can protect them by staying—you just did today.  _

_ There's no reason to worry.  _

  
  



	2. Cassius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassius has just found out that his son has disappeared, his wife is evil, and he has lost his title.  
> Surely this is a prank of some sort?

Cassius stared at the scroll in his hand.

_ We regret to inform you that active immediately, your position as Emissary is terminated for the foreseeable future due to recent developments involving your son's Keefe Sencen's sudden disappearance and your wife Gisela Sencen's role as a leader of the Neverseen— _

This couldn't be happening.

His wife,  _ evil _ ?

His son,  _ gone _ ?

And he himself—a model citizen, a trustworthy Emissary, a fierce Council supporter—had lost his position, his title, his role in the elven world?

He raced to the vortinator, pressed the button that activated the intercom, and yelled, "KEEFE!"

This  _ had  _ to be a joke. This had to be one of those infuriating pranks that his son always pulled. 

Nothing.

"KEEFE!" he shouted again.

No reply.

He raced to his son's bedroom, barely wondering why the door was unlocked as he raced inside. Dusty furniture, a well-equipped desk and set of bookshelves that Keefe rarely bothered to use, a  _ made  _ bed—well, that was strange—and no sign of his son.

_ It could be a prank _ , Cassius assured himself.  _ He's just spending the night with the Vackers, and he printed the fake scroll to shock me. And Gisela...your wife is probably off on her own as usual.  _

Still, it wouldn't be a bad idea to hail Alden. He was well-connected in the nobility, and he—or Fitz—would most likely know something about what was going on with Keefe.

Cassius took out his imparter. "Show me Alden Vacker."

Alden appeared on the screen moments later, dark purple shadows under his eyes. "Hello, Cassius."

" _ Lord _ Cassius," he insisted, the correction almost instantaneous. It had taken long enough to build up respect as a young Empath at Foxfire, long enough for him to attain his noble title—he had earned that word in front of his name.

"I'm afraid not," Alden countered. "I assume you're here about the sudden disappearance of Keefe and the loss of your title?"

_ The loss of your title. _

"This–this isn't a joke?" Cassius pleaded. "I'm no longer an Emissary?"

"I would have thought you'd be more concerned for the safety of your son," Alden told him. "But yes, this is real. Your son has run away, your wife is with the Neverseen, and you are no longer a member of the nobility."

Cassius managed a nod before shutting off the Imparter.

He was  _ going  _ to get his title back,  _ going  _ to prove to the world that no matter what his son did, no matter who his wife was, he was still the same elf he had always been.


	3. Grady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grady finds out a little more about what Sophie is up to with the Black Swan.

"Gildie's acting up again," Edaline told Grady. "She won't try any of the new foods, and I tried setting up a bonfire for her, but even that didn't improve her appetite."

Grady sipped his soup. "Maybe we could get Sophie to talk to her—"

Edaline dropped her spoon; it clattered against the side of the bowl, the noise reverberating through the room. Her face was deathly pale. 

_ No. _

For a moment, Grady had forgotten that his daughter was gone. Forgotten that Sophie wasn't upstairs working on one of her projects or hanging out with her friends or even studying like crazy for midterms like a normal teenager; she was dealing with problems that were far too big for one kid to solve, far too big for anyone to ask of her.

"I'm sorry—" Grady tried. "I forgot—I didn't mean to—I really miss her!"

Edaline took a breath, a hint of forgiveness curving around her words. "I know. It's just—I saw her this afternoon, and—"

"You  _ saw _ her?" Grady's jaw dropped. "How? Why? Is she okay?"

"She's happy and relatively safe," Edaline assured him. "Mr. Forkle couldn't give me much detail, but he told me that everyone is all right. Sophie also said to tell you that she loves you."

The words were like shower water, one setting below the temperature you favor. Warm, but it left him wanting something more.

He was so glad that Sophie was safe and happy—but he wanted her  _ back _ . He wanted to hug her again, to hear about her crazy projects and Foxfire assignments, to have her help with Gildie. He missed Dex, too, and Biana, and Fitz….and even Keefe.

"I wish I could tell her that I love her," Grady sighed.

"I know. I do, too."

They sat in silence for a moment, until Edaline added, "Also, I brought the custard bursts I made to the hideout, and they're all gone now."

"Betrayal," Grady gasped, placing his hand on his heart for extra emphasis. " _ This  _ is why we're not dating anymore."

"We're married, you goofball," Edaline laughed.

Grady shrugged. "Do you want to make a second batch of them with me after dinner?"

"Of course—what flavor?"

"Chocolate and carmel?"

"Sounds great, as long as you let me help you with the carmel this time. You look better when you have both of your eyebrows."

"It only happened once! Well, twice if you count the time when we were making butterblasts….okay, maybe you  _ should  _ handle the carmel after all."

  
  



	4. Juline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juline doesn't know how to tell Rex that his older brother is gone.

"MOM!" 

Juline spun around to see Rex racing up to her. "Where's Dex? Yesterday he said he'd play hide and seek with Lex and Bex and me tomorrow and now it's tomorrow!"

The grin on his face was a mile wide, and Juline knew all too well what would occur when she broke the news, his smile shattering into anger and shock and sorrow and disbelief. She couldn't lie to him about something this big—couldn't lie to  _ any  _ of them—yet she didn't know how to tell her son that his older brother had gone to join the Black Swan.

"I don't know where he is," Juline managed.

It was nauseating, how easily the lie slipped off her tongue. Like she hadn't just seen Dex ten minutes ago in Alluveterre. Like she was just Juline Dizznee, co-owner of Slurps and Burps and the parent of four kids, not Squall, a member of the Black Swan's Collective. 

"When will he be back? Like in a few hours?"

"I don't know."

"Like a day? Is he at a sleepover?"

"He's not at a sleepover." 

"Is he with the Black Swan?" Rex guessed. "Bex thinks that that's where he is and Lex said that Bex was crazy and then Bex said that it wasn't as crazy as Lex's thirty-six gremlin Prattles pins and then Lex said—"

_ Kesler knows,  _ Juline reassured herself.  _ Grady and Edaline know. Alden knows. And the triplets are going to find out somehow; it's best if it comes from you. _

"He's with the Black Swan, but this is a  _ very  _ serious secret and I need you to not talk about it anywhere but here, with anyone but immediate family," Juline explained. "This is….more serious than where your dad and I hide the good chocolate."

Rex's expression crumpled. "But…..he'll be back soon, right? He's safe?!"

"I'm not sure," Juline sighed. "I'm sorry."

Rex's hands balled into fists, yet that didn't stop a tear from leaking out the corner of his eye. 

"It'll be okay," Juline promised, wrapping Rex in a hug. "I can promise you that I'll do anything I can to make sure he's back here safely as soon as possible."

"Really?" 

"Really."

"I miss him already," Rex mumbled, leaning into the hug.

"So do I."

  
  



End file.
